James Cosmano
Encyclopedia
James Cosmano also known as "Sunny Jim" (July 17, 1885 - May 2, 1963) was a leader of the Black Hand
street gang in pre-Prohibition
Chicago who tried to extort money from the South Side gang.
, Italy, July 17, 1885. He arrived in the United States at Ellis Island on May 14, 1904 aboard the San Gottardo. After a stay in Canada, he crossed over into the US at St. Albans, VT, on December 22, 1904. Cosmano joined the Black Hand as a young man. Cosmano and other Black Handers, including James "The Mad Bomber" Belcastro
, preyed on the residents of Chicago's Little Italy
and other city neighborhoods at the turn of the 20th century.
owner in the Levee
section of Chicago. Cosmano threatened to beat up Colosimo's prostitutes and their customers if he did not receive $50,000 a week. To protect himself, Colosimo brought in his nephew Johnny "The Fox" Torrio
, a New York mobster from the Five Points Gang
. After Torrio's arrival in Chicago, ten members of the Black Hand gang had been murdered. However, Cosmano continued to threaten Colosimo.
In early 1912, Cosmano sent Colosimo a letter threatening to torch his cafe, the Colosimo, unless Colosimo paid him $10,000. Colosimo reportedly asked Torrio to take care of the problem. On January 18, Cosmano was ambushed and severely wounded.
An associate of labor racketeer Timothy "Big Tim" Murphy
, Cosmano was tried with Murphy, Michael "Dago Mike" Carozzo and James Vinci in the 1920 gangland slaying of Maurice "Mossy" Enright
. However, Cosmano, Murphy, and Carozza were eventually released due to lack of evidence.
Cosmano, Murphy, and others attempted to steal $380,000 in cash and bonds from the US Mail in 1921. One of the postal inspectors in on the plot confessed and part of the loot was found in Murphy's attic. Though defended by Clarence Darrow, both Murphy and Cosmano were convicted of conspiracy to rob the US Mail. Cosmano was sentenced on November 14, 1921, and was incarcerated in Leavenworth beginning in February, 1923. Upon release in 1926, and after failed attempts to fight deportation, he returned to Italy in 1927.
On May 2, 1963, Cosmano died in Molochio, Reggio Calabria, Italy.
Black Hand (blackmail)
Black Hand was a type of extortion racket. It was a method of extortion, not a criminal organization as such, though gangsters of Camorra and the Mafia practiced it.-Origins:...
street gang in pre-Prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
Chicago who tried to extort money from the South Side gang.
Early years
Born Vincenzo Cosmano in Molochio, Reggio CalabriaReggio Calabria
Reggio di Calabria , commonly known as Reggio Calabria or Reggio, is the biggest city and the most populated comune of Calabria, southern Italy, and is the capital of the Province of Reggio Calabria and seat of the Council of Calabrian government.Reggio is located on the "toe" of the Italian...
, Italy, July 17, 1885. He arrived in the United States at Ellis Island on May 14, 1904 aboard the San Gottardo. After a stay in Canada, he crossed over into the US at St. Albans, VT, on December 22, 1904. Cosmano joined the Black Hand as a young man. Cosmano and other Black Handers, including James "The Mad Bomber" Belcastro
James Belcastro
James "Mad Bomber" Belcastro was a Black Hand gang member, extortionist, and later chief bomber for the Chicago Outfit during Prohibition....
, preyed on the residents of Chicago's Little Italy
Little Italy, Chicago
Little Italy is a neighborhood on the Near West Side of Chicago, Illinois. The current boundaries of Little Italy are Ashland Avenue on the west and Morgan Street on the east — bracketed by Harrison Street on the north and Roosevelt Road; i.e., 12th Street, on the south...
and other city neighborhoods at the turn of the 20th century.
Extortion and Doublecross
In 1910, Cosmano tried to extort money out of James "Big Jim" Colosimo, a powerful brothelBrothel
Brothels are business establishments where patrons can engage in sexual activities with prostitutes. Brothels are known under a variety of names, including bordello, cathouse, knocking shop, whorehouse, strumpet house, sporting house, house of ill repute, house of prostitution, and bawdy house...
owner in the Levee
The Levee
The Levee is a former red-light district in Chicago, Illinois, located near the intersection of Cermak Road and Michigan Avenue in the city's Near South Side...
section of Chicago. Cosmano threatened to beat up Colosimo's prostitutes and their customers if he did not receive $50,000 a week. To protect himself, Colosimo brought in his nephew Johnny "The Fox" Torrio
Johnny Torrio
John "Papa Johnny" Torrio , also known as "The Fox", was an Italian-American mobster who helped build the criminal empire known as the Chicago Outfit in the 1920s that was later inherited by his protege, Al Capone...
, a New York mobster from the Five Points Gang
Five Points Gang
Five Points Gang was a 19th-century and early 20th-century criminal organization, primarily of Italian-American origins, based in the Sixth Ward of Manhattan, New York City. Since the early 19th century, the area was first known for gangs of Irish immigrants...
. After Torrio's arrival in Chicago, ten members of the Black Hand gang had been murdered. However, Cosmano continued to threaten Colosimo.
In early 1912, Cosmano sent Colosimo a letter threatening to torch his cafe, the Colosimo, unless Colosimo paid him $10,000. Colosimo reportedly asked Torrio to take care of the problem. On January 18, Cosmano was ambushed and severely wounded.
Survival
Cosmano survived the attack and was taken to the hospital. Later, several of his associates smuggled Cosmano out of the hospital to protect him. Cosmano then left Chicago to continue his activities elsewhere.An associate of labor racketeer Timothy "Big Tim" Murphy
Timothy D. Murphy
Timothy D. "Big Tim" Murphy was a Chicago mobster and labor racketeer who controlled several major railroad, laundry and dye workers' unions during the 1910s and early 1920s....
, Cosmano was tried with Murphy, Michael "Dago Mike" Carozzo and James Vinci in the 1920 gangland slaying of Maurice "Mossy" Enright
Maurice Enright
Maurice "Mossy" or "Mossie" Enright was an Irish-American gangster and one of the earliest Chicago labor racketeers in the early 20th century....
. However, Cosmano, Murphy, and Carozza were eventually released due to lack of evidence.
Cosmano, Murphy, and others attempted to steal $380,000 in cash and bonds from the US Mail in 1921. One of the postal inspectors in on the plot confessed and part of the loot was found in Murphy's attic. Though defended by Clarence Darrow, both Murphy and Cosmano were convicted of conspiracy to rob the US Mail. Cosmano was sentenced on November 14, 1921, and was incarcerated in Leavenworth beginning in February, 1923. Upon release in 1926, and after failed attempts to fight deportation, he returned to Italy in 1927.
On May 2, 1963, Cosmano died in Molochio, Reggio Calabria, Italy.
Further reading
- Asbury, Herbert. The Gangs of Chicago: An Informal History of the Chicago Underworld. New York: Alfred A. Knoff, 1940. ISBN 1-56025-454-8
- Curtis, Ken. Pimpin Ain't Easy: An Education On "The Life". Lakewood, Ohio: Condos On The Moon, 2006. ISBN 0-9746394-1-9
- Johnson, Curt and R. Craig Sautter. The Wicked City: Chicago from Kenna to Capone. New York: Da Capo Press, 1998. ISBN 0-306-80821-8
- Kobler, John. Capone: The Life and Times of Al Capone. New York: Da Capo Press, 2003. ISBN 0-30681-285-1